Everyday camera carry

[PF511]

In thinking about how often I shoot photos, I'm curious about two things from the community:

1. How often do you carry a camera that isn't your phone?

2. If you carry a camera often, what camera do you carry?

I'd like to shoot more photos, but I don't often carry one of my cameras, especially to and from work and around town. When I see photos from a smartphone, all I see are the flaws, so that's not a good substitute for me. I have a Fuji X-M1, which I'm happy with and is somewhat compact, but I've long considered an RX100 or a Canon G7x or G9x because of the high quality to size ratio.

If you wouldn't mind, answer how often you carry a non-smartphone camera. If you carry it a lot, reply to let folks know what that camera/lens combo is, and maybe even what bag, etc. you use with it, whether you carry other accessories, etc.

Thanks!

How Often Do You Carry a Non-smartphone Camera?

 

[hobbyist84]

I make it a point to go out with one of my cameras. Fuji xt1, fuji x70 or canon 5div every single day and get one photo I like. Many days I go shooting for longer but I have to get 1 outside of the house. It's been my challenge since October and it is therapeutic for me.

 

[Shredcow]

For almost a year now, I have carried my XT2 pretty much every day, everywhere, even for a walk to buy groceries. I'd have a smaller prime on it, like the 18f2, 23f2, or a Meike 35f1.7 manual lens. Once in a while, I'll try the 56.

Recently, I purchased a Panasonic Lumix LX10 and that little beast has been a surprising contender in terms of street photography - no one cares about it when I point it in their faces, it's a lot smaller than the XT2, it's IQ is more than good enough for street.

 

[yardcoyote]

Hard to answer because I carry a "big camera" almost every day in the summer, several times a week or even less in the winter. My true daily carry cameras are my phone, my iPod Touch (loaded with the new version of the Lenka black and white camera app, which I am delighted with) and my Polaroid Cube toy camera- -I always have at least two of these with me, and yes, I do consider them real cameras, though of the snapshot variety.

My smallest "big cameras"are my X-M1 with the 27mm pancake prime and my X100T . Either one is an excellent all purpose walkaround camera-- the X100 even does suprisingly good macro. I would gladly look at something even smaller-- I'd be willing to give up sensor size for something truly pocketable, but everything out there in the one inch sensor class has a power zoom on it. What I'd want is a prime longer than the one on my phone.

 

[dv312]

I have the X100F with me in the car

Now that I've sold it, the XE3 +23 replaces it

This combo is not what you call pocketable since the lens is so long

On serious shoots , of course I carry most of my gear in a backpack, and lately about twice a week

 

[PLShooter]

My Olympus TG5 goes with me nearly every day. Next would be my Olympus E-PL7 with the little Lumix 12-32. For days that I know I will be taking lots of pics I call on my Fuji X-T10 with the 27 f2.8, along with my Olympus E-M5 II with the Leica 12-60 f2.8.

Love each one for their individual qualities. If I had to pick just 1, it would be the..........Oly E-PL7. It just does it all with no complaints!

 

[chimphappyhour]

I carry daily. For the longest time I carried full DSLR's as my daily with a compliment of heavy duty lenses. Then I got my first mirrorless and the DSLR started to gather dust. Once I realized this, I decided to split it down the middle jump into Fuji. So now the XT20 is my daily carry.

Edit to add the info asked for: Carrying the XT20 with the 18-55 for now. I'll add more lenses soon as I sell off my Nikon stuff or my tax return gets here. (I have decided as of tonight that I'm keeping the Tokina 100mm and using it with the adapter.)

Just picked up the PD Everyday Sling to carry the camera and my Chromebook. It's pretty sweet. Oddly for a 10L, it feels bigger than my 12L messenger I was using before. Also, someone in another thread said PD bags are overpriced? That might be the case for their other bags but the Everyday Sling is priced about right. (I should know. I used to work in the outdoor industry and have over 10 bags from Osprey alone.)

 

[FrankB2]

I keep a real camera in the briefcase I take with me every when I go to work. For the past few years it's varied between an X100 series and the X30. Lately it's been the X30. If I'm going shooting for fun on the weekends with something more, the briefcase stays home and I have a regular camera bag of some sort, with whatever I'm using that day.

I don't consider a phone to be a camera, probably because I actually have to use mine to talk on a lot.

 

[bs1946]

Normally, I would bring my X-E2 with one of my three primes and a spare battery in my pocket whenever I leave the house; no bag or extra lenses. For more than six months, the only camera I used was my X100T and really didn't miss having anything else. But then I went back to my X-E2 and sold the X100T. It's something I've regretted doing more than once but in early November, I upgraded to an X-T2 and the X-E2 is up for sale. Unfortunately, I'm older than dirt and getting older each, plus this has been one of the worst winters we have had in years; weeks of single digit temperatures with snow storms, freezing rain, and high winds. It almost reminds me of the year I spent in the Antarctic, and while the X-T2 is weather resistant, I'm not, and I have opted to stay home or due necessary errands in my warm comfy SUV, So the X-T2 has seen little use since I got it.

 

[Sjak]

I don't own a smartphone, because i don't like many things about those things (touchscreen interface, battery life, zero added value over a camera and pc, size which is too big for a phone and too small for anything else, etc)

Especially in summer, I often have a belt pouch with a compact (an ageing LX7 in my case)

 

[Threaded]

I tend not to carry a camera in the week when I’m working as the photo opportunities just don’t come up, but at the weekends and other non work days I carry my Fuji (currently XP2) whenever and wherever, all the time.

Technically I have a perfectly good iPhone camera with me the rest of the time but I literally never use it, I just get no enjoyment from it at all, either the taking or the results. I need a “proper” camera.

 

[Hoenemor]

Hi

sorry if this repeats any previous answers. I always carry my X-T2 with either my 16mm, 50mm or 18-55mm lens. Sometimes I bring both primes.

What I found out some years ago is that its worth investing in a (or multiple) proper photobags. I therefore have several. I usually leave my house with my camera gear (and everything else in an ONA Leather Tote (https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1141767-REG/ona_ona5_009lbr_capri_antique_cognac.html) . This one was expensive, but I have used it for more than two years and it can take a beating.

If I do need to bring my computer, I usually stuff all i need into a crumpler bakcpack (this is so old it is no longer manufactured, but the bottom half fits either a camera and 4 lenses or a camera, couple of lenses, extra shift/lunch).

If I go for hike/run home from something I put everything in a Lowepro Sport 200AW II (https://store.lowepro.com/photo-sport-bp-200-aw-ii).

The upside of buying good quality camera bags/backpacks is that the camera is always protected and you dont break either camera or back when trying to log everything around. The dowside of buying good quality bags/backpacks is that they last forever! I have had my crumpler bag for 5 years, and it is still long way from being worn out. I really do want an Everyday Backpack from peak design, but I can't justify buying another camera backpack when the one I have works perfectly.

Julie

 

[bs1946]

I don't own a smartphone, because i don't like many things about those things (touchscreen interface, battery life, zero added value over a camera and pc, size which is too big for a phone and too small for anything else, etc)

Especially in summer, I often have a belt pouch with a compact (an ageing LX7 in my case)

Smartphones have evolved into high power handheld computers. I'm not a big fan touchscreens, especially outside but there is very little that I can do with my Mac mini that I cannot do with my iPhone 7 Plus or my iPad mini. The big advantage of my Mac is the comfort of using a real keyboard and a mouse plus the 43" monitor I have that doubles as a TV set. With the advent of vast amounts of cloud storage at very small prices.

Fuji and the rest of the camera companies could learn a lot from Apple or Samsung about how to improve their battery life touch screen functionality and most import high quality software. All the camera companies are pathetic with software development and management. If Apple or Samsung every comes out with a phone that has micro 4/3 mount on the back with a high quality 20mp sensor, which seems to be the max for M43, the mirrorless camera sector will feel the same devastation that P&S has suffered from smartphones. APS-C would also be doable but there are very APS-C lenses that match small size of the micro 4/3. lenses.

--
Bill S.
www.flickr.com/photos/wrs1946
instagram.com@billschaffel
“Sharpness is a bourgeois concept”
- Henri Cartier-Bresson -

 

[PSCL1]

I have 2 Fuji bodies and 5 Fuji lenses but for walkaround I have Panasonic GM1with 12-32 zoom, Oly 15 f8 lens cap lens, or 20mm f1.7 Panny. This camera + a lens is TRULY pocketable

 

[bs1946]

I have 2 Fuji bodies and 5 Fuji lenses but for walkaround I have Panasonic GM1with 12-32 zoom, Oly 15 f8 lens cap lens, or 20mm f1.7 Panny. This camera + a lens is TRULY pocketable

Anything without a viewfinder is a deal breaker for me but, one of my favorites that I often regret selling is the Panasonic GM5, just a little larger and just as pocketable. I'm not a zoom guy so, I bought the Panasonic-Leica 15mm f1.7 to use instead. Sadly for me, it was an optional kit lens choice in the UK and EU but, not here in the US. But I found that the Olympus 17mm f1.8 I already had made a better match and it wound up staying glued on my GM5 almost all the time.

 

[tokumeino]

How Often Do You Carry a Non-smartphone Camera?

Daily, but a G7XII.

 

[uniball]

"But I've long considered an RX100 or a Canon G7x or G9x because of the high quality to size ratio."

You mean decent good light IQ to size ratio. Neither are acceptable at ISO 800 or higher. Neither have the glass that's remotely competitive with Fuji. I have an RX100m3. May as well use a smartphone.

Though at least the G7 has a functioning auto white balance. As opposed to Sony's shades of yellow and orange.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

I keep my Fuji X100F in my laptop bag and carry it every day.

It's perfect for capturing the moment

Like sunrise near my Starbucks on the way to work!

--
Your time is limited, so don't waste it arguing about camera features - go out and capture memories

 

[PF511]

Excellent feedback here. This definitely gives me some ideas on how to move forward. Super, super helpful. Thanks to all who replied!

 

[rokaroka]

I carry daily. For the longest time I carried full DSLR's as my daily with a compliment of heavy duty lenses. Then I got my first mirrorless and the DSLR started to gather dust. Once I realized this, I decided to split it down the middle jump into Fuji. So now the XT20 is my daily carry.

Edit to add the info asked for: Carrying the XT20 with the 18-55 for now. I'll add more lenses soon as I sell off my Nikon stuff or my tax return gets here. (I have decided as of tonight that I'm keeping the Tokina 100mm and using it with the adapter.)

Just picked up the PD Everyday Sling to carry the camera and my Chromebook. It's pretty sweet. Oddly for a 10L, it feels bigger than my 12L messenger I was using before. Also, someone in another thread said PD bags are overpriced? That might be the case for their other bags but the Everyday Sling is priced about right. (I should know. I used to work in the outdoor industry and have over 10 bags from Osprey alone.)

I have the large versions of the PD Backpack, Messenger and Sling. I was somewhat disappointed with the backpack as I just don’t find it very comfortable for everyday carry. I’m keeping it for travel. When I was shooting with just the 2 Sony compacts the Sling was perfect. Now that I’m shooting with my X-T20 I like to have all my lenses with me so I’m using the Messenger bag. I can carry all my equipment plus my iPad Pro 10.5” which is my primary processing device.

Are PD overpriced? They’re definitely not cheap but I’ve never had higher quality bags. I think they’re worth the price.